Using Discord on Zwift

As part of our push for more Discord in the Zwift community I’ve put together this simple tutorial. Following the simple steps below will get you started using the Discord voice chat app while Zwifting.

But before we get to the meat of the tutorial, I wanted to share this video–one of my favorites in the Zwift universe. Here you can watch TeamODZ’s Justin Wagner finishing the big Zwift Team Worlds 2017 race. You can hear his interaction with teammates via Discord, making this a perfect example of audio chat bringing the Zwift experience to the next level.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN – HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

All you need to get Discord working is the device to run it (your mobile phone or computer), a microphone, and speakers. A standalone phone will do the job, but isn’t ideal due to poor speakers and mic positioning.

The most common setup is to run Discord on your mobile phone, using hardwired or Bluetooth earbuds with a built-in mic.

I don’t like a lot of cords hanging around, so I use true wireless Jaybird Vista earbuds. Love ’em. (The Tarah earbuds are much cheaper and also work well, but they have a connecting wire.)

STEP 1: INSTALL THE APP

Discord runs on mobile devices as well as Windows and Mac. Installation is simple: just search for “Discord” on your mobile device, or visit https://discordapp.com/ on your computer and click the link to download the app.

STEP 2: CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

Just click “Register” and enter your email and desired password. Easy!

STEP 3: ENTER THE INVITE CODE

To join a Discord server you must have an invite code.

Click this link from the device you’ve installed Discord to, or just enter “zwiftinsider manually into Discord to join our server: https://discord.gg/zwiftinsider

CONGRATS, YOU’RE IN!

Just click the “Join” button and you’ll be logged into the Zwift Insider Discord server.

STEP 4: HERE’S THE TRICKY PART

Discord automatically places you in the text chat channel, which isn’t where you want to be. Click the hamburger menu (3 lines at top-left) to view all the channels on the server. Scroll down and pick a chat room under Cycling Chat Rooms, then click “Join Voice” to join the audio chat.

YOU’RE ALL SET!

Once you see yourself on the list of other users in your chosen voice channel, you’re all done. As long as you have your microphone and earbuds/speakers hooked up correctly, you’re good to go.

Recommendation: Use Push to Talk

In voice channels, Discord has two different input modes:

Push to Talk: you have to push a button in order to transmit your voice across the channel
Voice Activity: when Discord detects that you’re speaking, it transmits your audio across the channel

In Zwift land, it is generally considered good practice to use Push to Talk, so people only hear you when you’re actually speaking. If you set it to “Voice Activity” (which is the default setting) your noisy fan, trainer, or gear shifts may be detected as audio input and broadcasted across the channel.

Push to Talk ensures you’re only transmitting audio when you want to be!

28 COMMENTS

28 Comments

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Jay

2 years ago

Steps 1 and 2 are not rendering correctly – all text looks to be squashed into a two character wide column on the right hand edge of the main area. Not limited to browser type.

Rob

The formatting is screwed in the middle section of this page

Jan

Please fix the column settings in the CSS. Had to copy and paste into a WORD doc in order to read all text. 🙂

Julie Martin

Will Discord work with just earbuds and the mic on my Iphone? Or do I need a separate mic?

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Eric Schlange(@eschlange)

Reply to Julie Martin

Earbuds with the built in mic work just fine.

J.C.

Are the instructions still the same? I tried this, and what I see in Discord is different. I don’t see “General” under voice channels? I see “cycling 1” or something similar? Is that what I want? and then how is it turned off if you don’t want it? Just close the app? It doesn’t seem to have any “exit” built in.

Thanks!

Eric Lorenz(@eplorenz)

Are the built-in mic buttons on these headphones meant to work to “push-to-talk” on Discord? Or do we still have to press the touch screen mute/unmute button on our phones with these headphones, as with my existing Trekz headphones? Thanks!

Derek

Does discord voice work in the background on iPhone if I am using the Zwift Companion app?

Reply to Derek

Yes.

Peppermint Patty

Reply to Eric Schlange

can you use the Zwift companion app in iPhone (and message) while on Zwift in iPhone? I have not been able to do this so far

Reply to Peppermint Patty

I meant while on discord. My experience is Zwift companion goes when you start using discord

Wayne Hamilton

On Android Discord supports an overlay output for some apps, unfortunately the Zwift companion app is not one of them. Not sure if this is something discord or Zwift needs to add.

Blake

The discord invite link is expired – Can you create a new one?

Reply to Blake

Done!

Thank you!!

Lucie Goikoetxea

I think it’s expired again, doesn’t work for me 😒

Reply to Lucie Goikoetxea

Tried a different way and I’m in. Thanks 😊

Andrew

I’ve been having problems with my headphone mic. I have a lot of background noise from my fan. Does anyone have any suggestions on a headset with a solid mic? Or any other suggestions.

Mike Copper

I’m getting a 401 unauthorized message when trying to join. Anyone else have this problem and get past it?

Mark Falkingham

Hey all, I am new to Discord, I was able to make an account, join using the invite link above and all of that. I only see three voice channels and they are empty? Are there other voice servers or? I’m not sure how this works

Andrew Babaian

Has anyone run into bluetooth connectivity issues with earbuds and the discord app on laptop while zwift is also open on laptop? When zwift is open, both the speaker and mic of the earbuds do not work even though they are the selected device in discord. This is not an issue if I’m running discord on my phone while zwift is running on my laptop.